Soccer stadiums with the most statues of legends: Which clubs lead the way?
Manchester City has added to their legacy with the unveiling of three new statues commemorating their iconic players from the 1960s and 70s. Colin Bell, Francis Lee, and Mike Summerbee have been immortalized with life-size sculptures outside Etihad Stadium, further solidifying their place in the club’s history. This addition brings their total count of statues to five, putting them among the top European teams with the most life-size likenesses of club legends. In light of Manchester City’s latest tribute, we’ve taken a look at other major clubs in Europe to see who else has been honored with a statue and who has yet to receive such recognition.
Manchester City recently added to the collection of statues at their Etihad Stadium, unveiling tributes to three legendary players from the 1960s and ’70s: Colin Bell, Francis Lee and Mike Summerbee. These players were part of the revered City team that became champions of the old First Division in 1967-68. With these new additions, City now has five full-size statues on display at their grounds, making them one of the top European teams with the most life-size likenesses of legendary club figures.
In contrast, other top clubs in Europe’s major leagues have fewer or no statues of their legendary players. AC Milan and Inter Milan share the San Siro stadium but have chosen not to place any of their respective club legends on a pedestal outside their famous old stadium. In Madrid, despite their grand history, Real Madrid currently does not have any statues on display at the Bernabeu. Similarly, Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus do not have any statues of their great former players on display outside their respective stadiums.
Other clubs have chosen to honor their legends, such as Ajax, which unveiled a statue of their greatest ever player, Johan Cruyff, outside their stadium in 2020. Bayern Munich honored Gerd Müller, Chelsea honored Peter Osgood, and Napoli honored Diego Maradona with statues outside their respective stadiums. Lastly, Barcelona has a statue of Laszlo Kubala outside the Camp Nou, paying tribute to the former player who scored an impressive 194 goals for the Blaugrana.
